Public relations firm wins case against Mexican star

Public relations firm winscase against Mexican star
LOS ANGELES -- A jury has awarded $57,500 to a public relations firm that sued Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio for not performing at the 2003 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Superior Court jury found that Rubio and manager Ricardo Cordero breached a contract with Pacific Communications Group, which sought more than $1 million in damages. Judge Malcolm Mackey threw out claims for punitive damages.
Rubio, 33, wasn't in court Thursday when the jury's verdict was read. She had testified earlier in the trial.
A complaint filed in April 2003 claimed Rubio had failed to appear in a planned 20-minute performance for the news media at the unveiling of a new Mercedes-Benz model.
Rubio's lawyers contended she never signed a contract to attend. Lawyers for Pacific Communications maintained that e-mailed and oral agreements with her managers were enough to confirm her appearance.
Cordero had told Pacific Communications that Rubio couldn't attend the event because she was sick. Rubio later said she had been vacationing in Acapulco, Mexico.
Love enters innocent pleato felony drug charges
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Rocker Courtney Love pleaded innocent Friday to felony charges that she illegally possessed prescription painkillers.
Superior Court Judge Elden Fox set a hearing for June 4, when a trial date could be set.
Love, 39, came to court in a black trench coat, black pants and gray top. She sat quietly and read a book before she was called before the judge.
Asked if she agreed to the plea, she said, "Yes."
Love has been more boisterous during past appearances, chatting with reporters and talking out of turn in court.
She is charged with two felony counts of possession of controlled substances -- the painkillers hydrocodone and oxycodone. She could face up to three years and eight months in prison if convicted.
Love is the widow of grunge rocker Kurt Cobain and former lead singer of the rock band Hole. Her films include "The People vs. Larry Flynt" and "Man on the Moon."
Fleiss files a lawsuitagainst former boyfriend
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss has sued ex-boyfriend and actor Tom Sizemore, seeking unspecified damages for domestic violence and property she reportedly lost during their volatile relationship.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Superior Court. Sizemore, a star of "Black Hawk Down" and "Saving Private Ryan," was convicted last August of criminal misdemeanor charges of physically abusing Fleiss and harassing and annoying her.
He was sentenced to six months in jail, but a judge postponed the jail term to allow Sizemore to finish a live-in program at a drug rehabilitation center.
The lawsuit recounts allegations in the criminal case, including violent episodes in which Sizemore beat Fleiss at the Beverly Hills home they shared.
Notable deaths
Bonnie Jo Halpin, an original Playboy "bunny" who worked at several of Hugh Hefner's clubs and appeared in the magazine numerous times in the 1960s, died March 31, her friend Joyce Nizzari said. She was 65.
Johnny Mann, an actor who appeared in dozens of soap operas and TV dramas, including "Hawaii Five-0", died of complication from cancer Monday, said his wife, Shirley Mann. He was 73.
Today's Birthdays
Actor Glenn Ford is 88. Former astronaut Scott Carpenter is 79. Country singer Sonny James is 75. Jazz singer Shirley Horn is 70. Singer Judy Collins is 65. Singer Rita Coolidge is 59. Singer-songwriter Ray Parker Junior is 50. Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen is 44. Country singer Tim McGraw is 37.